Category: Travel

Christmas Morning Stocking Full O’ Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 25, 2008
3 Comments on Christmas Morning Stocking Full O’ Thoughts

Here’s what I’m thinkin’ ’bout on this Glorious Christmas Day Morning:

1. I left work at exactly 9 AM yesterday (Christmas Eve) morning, and I arrived at my parents’ home at exactly 3:30 PM. It was a rather uneventful 6½-hour drive from Homestead to here. That included about a 30-minute stop-over in Fort Pierce along world-renown State Road 70 for Gas and Lunch.

2. I’m currently in historic Clay County Florida – about halfway between the historic river cities of Orange Park and Green Cove Springs (the county seat) along historic U.S. 17. F.Y.I. – U.S. 17 extends from the foothills of Northern Virginia to the Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida.

3. My last visit up here to the First Coast of Florida was during the Labor Day Weekend at the end of August 2008. I’ve been coming up here once or twice per year for the past 12 years to visit my parents (and my brother when he lived up here). 2009 will probably be my parents’ final year here. They’ll be moving to the north of Dallas Texas in a few months. They’ll be living just a few miles away from my brother and his wife.

4. Of all of the cats that have been in our family over the past quarter of a century my parents’ current cat – Pumpkin – has the most beautiful fur ever ! She’s brown and black with hints of orange and tan – perhaps even a bit of burnt sienna. One time when Pumpkin was a kitten she was totally terrified of me, and she nearly tried to end her own life by jumping at least 20 feet to the ground below when she was absolutely frightened by an unintentional sudden movement of mine. Now she adores me and comes running to me whenever I spot my petting hand. Pumpkin loves me so much now that she even licks me at times. Even she has realized that cats all over the land adore me.

5. Last night we enjoyed a MASSIVE Dinner at the local Longhorn Steak House. This afternoon we’ll be enjoying a traditional (also MASSIVE) Christmas Day Dinner. Don’t you know that I like totally dig that dudes and dudettes ? SHYEAHZZZ !

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !

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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 16, 2008
10 Comments on Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Every Tuesday night the world listens to me. Hear me now:

1. Aside from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida the entire rest of the free nation from coast-to-coast and from border-to-border is shivering in a deep icy freeze. Even much of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas is socked-in to a deep freeze. Here in Homestead we’ve got fast-moving tropical showers moving in from the Caribbean. It’s December in Paradise !

2. The 17TH season of “Survivor” held in Gabon Africa is now done and over with, and it was quite the entertaining season finale this past Sunday night on CBS-TV. I’ve seen every single episode ever made since it became an overnight sensation back during the Summer of 2000. The 18TH season has already wrapped-up its filming up in the Brazilian Highlands. It premieres in February 2009.

3. Yesterday I was on a portion of Campbell Drive that is off-limits to most vehicular traffic. It’s located on a secluded portion of Homestead Air Reserve Base east of the South Dade Labor Camp neighbourhood. The original road surface of Campbell Drive still exists. It’s not in very good shape though. Once upon a time the main gate to the base was right there at the intersection of Campbell Drive and Tallahassee Road (now Speedway Boulevard). Today’s Labor Camp was once part of Base Housing.

4. Gas prices just keep on dropping. It’s in the $1.40s and $1.50s across much of the free nation. There are actually some analysts out there who state that gas prices could actually drop below $1 per gallon in 2009. These are the same analysts that forecasted gas to reach $10 per gallon earlier this year.

5. I’m eating at the Outback Steak House this Friday night for the first time in recent memory (many years). I’m totally looking forward to that. Afterwards I’m heading off to see a movie – “Yes Man“. It sounds like someone is dating again !

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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 2, 2008

Here’s what’s on my mind (pure energy):

1. I was north of Dallas Texas for an entire week last week to celebrate a combined Thanksgiving and Christmas with my Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-In-Law, and Canine Nephew. We also visited extended family up near Wichita Falls Texas. That’s the first time I had ever been to that fine city. I’d like to visit it again this upcoming Summer. I may drive there. ROAD TRIP !

2. Neither airport that I flew in and out of – FLL nor DFW – was hardly busy on the Saturday before and the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My keen observation summarizes that holiday air travel is a casualty this year of the global recession that we’re in.

3. So America has officially been in a recession for an entire year now – since December 2007. This just in. I am not in a recession. I remain in a vast economic expansion – one that has lasted for over 15 years. Many of you reading this are also in an economic expansion (although you may deny it). Many Americans claim that they are in a recession, but couldn’t tell you why they state so. ‘Because they said so on television’ is not a valid reason why you are in a recession.

4. According to the National Weather Service it was the coldest November in 24 years in Miami, the coldest in 27 years in West Palm Beach and Naples, and the coldest in 38 years on Miami Beach. I blame this on global warming. 🙄

5. Happiness Is – Performing a well-orchestrated ‘grab and save’ at a local neighbourhood Walgreens store and saving a whopping $9.00 while purchasing only two unique items within a matter of a few mere minutes. I also saved $9.10 versus the normal prices that I would have paid for these two items at Publix. Cyber Monday – It’s not just online anymore !

Those are my thoughts on this Tuesday night. Thank You for your time.

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Saturday Night Retro

I’m back home in Homestead. I landed at FLL a good 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and I took the Miami GO GO Turnpike straight to Homestead. Now I’m relaxing and getting ready for a big day ahead at Life Pointe Church. I can’t wait to see everyone bright and early tomorrow morning. It’ll sort of be like a Reunion – and speaking of ‘Reunion’ – that’s the name of this assembled group of studio musicians that recorded this cool hit song from 1974. You may remember it if you’re old enough. If not then just listen, watch, and enjoy. There’s no way that you can sing along to it !

Ladies & Gentlemen – I present to you for your ‘Retro’ review – “Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)”. It’s one of my favourite songs of all-time !

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